IP Management:
Protecting & Commercializing Your Creative Ingenuity
November 19, 2014
Matthew Powell , Ashlee Froese & Salim Dharssi
Sec$on 1 – Overview of Intellectual Property Sec$on 2 – Patents Sec$on 3 – Branding, Trade-‐marks & Social Media Sec$on 4 – Managing & Commercializing
Intellectual Property
Overview
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1. Overview of Intellectual Property
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What is Intellectual Property?
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The Entrepreneur’s Conundrum
Bootstrap
vs.
Invest in IP
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Types of IP Protection
Your Business
Patent
Trademark
Copyright Design
Trade Secret
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Canadian IP: By the Numbers
20 The percentage of Canadian science or technology businesses that have sought IP protection of any kind
1.14 The percentage of R&D expenditures by Canadian universities that are captured as revenues down the road (compare to 5% for the United States)
4.5 Billions of dollars in net licensing revenues that Canadian entities pay to foreign entities because Canadians are buyers not sellers of IP
17 Canada’s rank out of 24 developed nations on an OECD innovation scale (despite being 7th in R&D)
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IP = Value Capture
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$12.5 Billion ÷ 17,000 Patents $735K per Patent
$4.5 Billion ÷ 6,000 Patents $750K per Patent
Brand Value: $77.8 million (US)
Patents afford choices at a dif\icult time
2. Patents
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Patents For control over how customers experience
the value proposition. à Exercise control by making competitors:
à Do without a feature (this reduces their relative attractiveness); à License the feature (this increases their costs; gains you value); à Try to design around the patent (this increases their costs);
à Investors value the control;
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Eureka?
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Only certain things can be patented. à Types of patentable things:
à Machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, arts or processes, or improvements in such things.
à Important Requirements: àNovelty, usefulness and non-‐obviousness.
Patent Preparation and Filing
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1. Design the patent application à Prepare full disclosure of invention; à Prepare claims de\ining scope of control (over who and what).
2. File the patent application à De\ine and execute local and worldwide \iling strategy.
3. Prosecute patent applications à Negotiate on available scope of control with each country’s patent of\ice; à Leverage progress in one country to expedite process in another.
4. Receive granted patents
Shhh …
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Should I Just Keep It Secret?
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Patent v. Trade Secret
Bootstrapping Ideas
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(Keeping Patenting Costs Under Control)
3. Branding, Trade-‐marks & Social Media
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The “Je ne sais quoi” Factor Customer Service Product Quality Store Experience Online Engagement Social Media and Consumer Buy-‐in Cool Factor Trust Factor
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In 2010, Interbrand estimated the worth of
the following brands:
COCA-‐COLA: $70.5 million IBM: $64.7 million$64.7 million
MICROSOFT: $60.8 million0i GOOGLE: $43.6 millionn
Brand Value
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Trade-‐marks is the Foundation of Any Brand
Ultimately, the trade-‐mark represents the reputation, quality and expertise of a
company.
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Nike Inc.
What Could Be a Trade-‐mark? Traditional Trade-‐marks
• Single word SUBWAY • Group of words BURGER KING • Group of numbers 967-‐1111 • Slogan DUDE YOU’RE GETTING A DELL • Design (with words)
• Design (without words)
Non-‐Traditional Trade-‐marks
Three-‐Dimensional Colors
Distinguishing Guise Sound
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The Sword and the Shield
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The Far Reach of Non-‐Traditional Trade-‐mark Protection
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Category: Company uniforms
Trade - mark: Owner: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
Category: Colour configuration on plane
Trade - mark: Owner: The Boeing Company
Category: Retail check out counter
Trade - m ark: Owner: Abercrombie & Fitch Trading Co.
Category: Store front entrance
Trade - mark: Owner: Build - A - Bear Retail Management, Inc.
Category: Sound Mark
Trade - mark: (Roaring lion sound) Owner: Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Lion Corp.
The Good, the Bad and the Forgettable
Descriptive
Suggestive Coined
Generic Descriptive
Suggestive Coined
Generic
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Obtain Trade-‐mark Registrations • Formalized protection of business asset • Increase value of your company • Registration certi\icate is evidence of ownership • Exclusive use • Rights are country-‐wide • Renewable registration periods • Access to Federal Court judgments • Springboard for international protection • Other avenues (domain name disputes, social media etc.)
How to Best Protect your Brand
Examiner’s Report: substantive v. formalities
Fact \inding: client’s brand, use & searches
Priority \iling deadline
Use?
Pleadings, evidence, argument, x-‐exam, hearings
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Registration Process
The Living Brand
• Use proper marking and ownership notices • Avoid genericization • Use trade-‐mark properly • Consistently use the trade-‐mark • Continue to use trade-‐mark properly • License properly • Police vigilantly • Audit the wares/services • Renew, renew, renew
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Ponder this…
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have in common?
POST-IT ASPIRIN
KLEENEX
BAND-AID plasticine
zipper
escalator What do:
Let’s Get Social
Ø In 2012, over $122 billion worth of goods/services sold in Canada
Ø As of 2012, 45% of Canadian enterprises operate a website Ø jumps to 80% for enterprises that employ 10+ people
Ø 34% use social media to steer potential consumers to website
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Assumption Reality
Brand Inc.
BRAND.com twitter/BRAND Facebook/BRAND LinkedIn/ BRAND Instagram/BRAND
.ca
.net .info
.mobi
.museum .jp .us
.co .me .uk
.eu .xxx
The Online Assumption
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4. Managing and Commercializing Intellectual Property
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How Not to Manage IP
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Good Housekeeping Know Your IP • Use invention disclosure forms to capture inventions rather than rely on notebooks.
• Use spreadsheets to track brands, inventions, patent applications, patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets
Ensure IP Ownership • Ensure IP being created at the instruction of the company by employees, outside contractors etc. is owned by the company
• Establishing formal, written agreements early reduces costly disputes later • Maintain a repository of employment agreements, outside contracts, nondisclosure agreements, supply agreements
Conduct Periodic IP audits
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IP Commercialization
In-‐Licensing
Develop Product / Service
Out-‐ Licensing
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“In” Licensing IP
Third Party IP
Your R&D
Your Product or Service
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• Think international!
• Act early!
• Identify who owns background IP
• Consider cross-‐licensing, partnering, co-‐existing
Bene\its of In-‐Licensing
1. Reduced cost of development 2. Shorten product development
timeframes 3. Reduce trial and error 4. Bene\it from cross-‐licensing
opportunities 5. Exposure to additional business
development opportunities
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“Out”-‐Licensing IP
Generate additional value from your IP through out-‐licensing
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Step 1: Identify IP Capable of Being Out-‐Licensed
Data Content
Know-‐How Components
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Step 2: Identify Out-‐Licensing Opportunities
Be creative! Carve out licensee’s rights by: • Industry • Territory • Product lines Think broadly! • Don’t be shy to out-‐license to competitors • Create partnerships in foreign countries you likely won’t reach in the immediate future
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Thank You
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416.703.1100
Matt Powell Ashlee Froese Salim Dharssi
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